12 Strongest Hulk Villains Created by Stan Lee, Ranked by Power Level

Marvel's Hulk is the Strongest One There Is, created in 1962 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. However, a hero of such immense power tends to attract a lot of incredibly imposing villains. In fact, some of Hulk's strongest foes have been around from the very beginning, with their origins in the Lee and Kirby days. Here are the 12 strongest Hulk villains created by Stan Lee - the most powerful evil-doers that have ever tangled with Marvel's Jade Giant. For our ranking, we'll consider both physical strength and any other superpowers they possess. For this list, we're being strict about the line between actual villains and mere rivals, not counting Hulk's fellow Marvel heroes like Thor, the Avengers and Fantastic Four's Thing - mostly because if we counted Marvel heroes that a) have a grudge against Hulk and b) were created by Stan Lee, there'd be no room for actual evil-doers on this list. Related 8 Strongest Characters Introduced to Hulk Lore in the Last Year Hulk's gamma radiation can transform anyone into a superstrong monster, and the last year has seen some truly imaginative transformations. 12 The Circus of Crime: Ringmaster, Bruto the Strong Man, Human Cannonball, Clown, Teena the Fat Lady and More First Appeared in Incredible Hulk #4 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby It's hard to believe that a group of evil circus performers could pose a serious problem for the Hulk, but at least in the Green Goliath's early days, the Ringmaster's gang were a serious thorn in his side, intent on turning him into the ultimate circus animal. The leader of the criminal syndicate is Maynard Tiboldt, aka the Ringmaster, who possesses immense hypnotic power, usually enhanced further by his hypnotic hat. Hulk's most iconic battle against the Circus of Crime came in a 1983 pop-up book titled The Incredible Hulk: Circus of Crime! The book sees Hulk battle Ringmaster's team, with most of the pop-up elements being Hulk hurling the villains directly at the reader. The rest of the Circus of Crime are non-superpowered circus performers who use their talents for larceny and assassination, with late arrival Princess Python (created by Lee and Steve Ditko) and her trained snakes being the most notable physical threat of the bunch, if only because of their penchant for asphyxiating the Hulk. The Circus of Crime's sometime leader Clown was later exposed to gamma radiation, becoming a feathered, Hulk-like monster named Griffin. He joined a group of fellow gamma mutates known as the Gamma Corps. Related Hulk's 12 Biggest Power Upgrades of All Time, Somehow Making Him Even Stronger The Hulk is famously 'The Strongest One There Is,' but these power upgrades took Bruce Banner from gamma strength all the way to godhood. 11 The Leader, aka Samuel Sterns Debuted in Tales to Astonish #62 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko A super-intelligent villain, the Leader has near-unparalleled genius as well as limited telepathy and telekinesis. While the Leader's mind is incredibly powerful and capable of dominating others, he's physically frail, often using robots or thralls to engage Hulk directly. While the Leader is considered Hulk's nemesis in Marvel lore, his power comes from what he knows and what he can build, rather than his inherent powers or strength. 10 Mongu, aka Boris Monguski From Incredible Hulk #4 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Mongu is one of Stan Lee's most underrated forgotten villains. In Incredible Hulk #4, a powerful alien gladiator lands on Earth, challenging the planet's strongest protector to one-on-one combat in the Grand Canyon. Ultimately, it turned out that 'Mongu' was actually Boris Monguski - a Russian soldier tasked with capturing Bruce Banner so his powers could be studied and reverse-engineered. The alien gladiator was actually a mech, granting Monguski just enough enhanced strength to believably set himself up as Hulk-worthy bait. In a fun retcon, 1972's Fear #14 (by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik) retconned Mongu, revealing that the alien barbarian does exist. A warrior from an alternate dimension, Mongu has battled Man-Thing and Hulk, with his mystic master Maha Yogi channeling extra power through Mongu's axe, adding to his strength and durability. It seems that rather than being an invention of the Russians, Mongu was a real being who they decided to recreate - a retcon that makes Boris Monguski's name an unlikely coincidence. Related 12 Strongest Non-Human Hulks in Hulk Lore, Ranked by Power Level Gamma radiation turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk, but it's also made monsters out of a powerful array of aliens, robots and animals. 9 Absorbing Man, aka Carl Creel Debuted in Journey Into Mystery #114 from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Prior Contributions by Bill Everett A longtime enemy of the Hulk and Thor, the Absorbing Man was granted mystic powers by Loki. Thanks to these powers, Absorbing Man's body can morph to take on the properties of whatever he touches. He can become diamond, adamantium or water, as well as being able to siphon the powers of foes like the Hulk and the Sentry. The magical nature of Absorbing Man's powers mean he can also absorb the 'intent' of tools and weapons - for example, touching a jet both turned his body into metal and granted him wings. 8 The Rhino, aka Aleksei Sytsevich Debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #41 by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr. A longtime enemy of Spider-Man, the Rhino also has a long history of fighting the Hulk. The two are almost connected by gamma radiation - the energy source that granted Hulk his incredible strength. While Rhino isn't a gamma mutate, his carpace has been treated with the radiation multiple times, making it far tougher and stronger. Sadly, Rhino's strength hasn't scaled alongside the Hulk's over the years, and the two are no longer in the same weight class. 7 Xemnu First Seen in Journey Into Mystery #62 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby A terrifying psychic alien, Xemnu is a cyborg being who can hypnotize huge numbers of people at the same time. Strong enough to trade blows with the Hulk and able to wield telekinesis, Xemnu's most terrifying ability is the power to 'eat' his victims using a robotic maw in his back, transforming them into unholy cyborgs governed by his will. Xemnu has battled Hulk a number of times, most notably in Al Ewing and Joe Bennett's Immortal Hulk, where the alien tried to replace the Hulk by manipulating the memory of every human on Earth. Related 12 Strongest Hulk Villains Who Still Haven't Appeared in the MCU (But Should) Some of Hulk's best villains still haven't appeared in the MCU - here are 12 powerhouses who still need to go up against Bruce Banner. 6 Juggernaut, aka Cain Marko Debuted in X-Men #12 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Alex Toth A recurring enemy (and sometime member) of the X-Men, Juggernaut also has a serious grudge against the Hulk. Empowered by an extradimensional demon, Juggernaut has immense strength and durability, while also being granted enhanced armor that naturally 'heals' when damaged and protects him from mental attack. Juggernaut and Hulk have traded blows countless times, and Juggernaut has even been able to beat Hulk on some occasions. Juggernaut's most unique superpower is his 'magic momentum,' which makes it impossible to stop him once he begins charging - a power that can even run down the Hulk. 5 General Ross, aka the Red Hulk Debuted in Incredible Hulk #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby General Ross is the former soldier who oversaw Bruce Banner's gamma bomb experiments, despising the scientist even as his daughter Betty came to love Bruce. After the gamma bomb created the Hulk, Ross made it his life's mission to bring down the monster, using machines including the Redeemer armor and the Hulk Smasher 1000. Ross' Ahab-like obsession often led to Hulk's biggest disasters, as Bruce Banner's other half was consumed by rage at being constantly pursued by people who inexplicably wanted to hurt him. In 2008's Hulk #1 (from Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness), General Ross became the Red Hulk, having been exposed to a combination of gamma radiation and cosmic rays. As Red Hulk, Ross possesses incredible strength and the ability to exude more and more heat the angrier he becomes. Ross also has the ability to absorb exotic energy including gamma radiation and the Power Cosmic, allowing him to siphon strength from foes like Hulk and the Silver Surfer. Related 12 Strongest Hulk Villains Who Still Haven't Appeared in the MCU (But Should) Some of Hulk's best villains still haven't appeared in the MCU - here are 12 powerhouses who still need to go up against Bruce Banner. First Seen in Incredible Hulk #6 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Hulk's most underrated villain of all time, Molyb was basically Magneto before Magneto (the Hulk villain debuted in January 1963, while X-Men's nemesis debuted in July.) Metal Master possesses total control over all metal, able to near-instantly reshape metal into any form he can imagine. Metal Master is able to command multiple forms of metal at the same time, and can manipulate metal with such speed and force that he's been able to knock the Hulk unconscious. Molyb's powers are a result of his natural alien biology. Hailing from the planet Astra, Molyb's culture exiled him after he became obsessed with using his powers for violence. Surprisingly, he's one of the few foes Hulk defeated with his smarts, with the Jade Giant wielding a fake weapon made of non-metallic materials that Metal Master couldn't control. Metal Master went on to fight powerhouses Rom and Black Bolt, and surprisingly later sought redemption. Molyb was later succeeded Molyn - another Astran alien who wanted to follow in his 'mighty' footsteps. Molyn's control over metal was so absolute, he could control Thor's hammer Mjolnir, utilizing it against its wielder, with the suggestion that Molyb would also have been capable of this feat. Related 12 Strongest Hulk Characters Who Got Their Powers from Bruce Banner Bruce Banner's gamma bomb created the Hulk, but that's only the beginning of what the heroic scientist accidentally unleashed on the Marvel Universe. 3 The Abomination, aka Emil Blonsky Debuted in Tales to Astonish #90 by Stan Lee and Gil Kane Hulk's strongest recurring enemy, the Abomination was originally a spy tasked with sabotaging Bruce Banner's gamma technology. After his efforts blew up in his face, he became a permanent gamma mutate whose base strength is even greater than the Hulk's. Loathing Hulk for trapping him as a monster, Emil Blonsky will do anything to get his revenge. Abomination is one of Bruce Banner's most despicable enemies, despite Tim Roth playing a much more likable version of the character in the MCU.

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